Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar, Botanical garden in Viña del Mar, Chile

The Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar is a botanical garden on Chile's coast spanning more than 395 hectares. It holds native shrublands and forests along with plant collections from all regions of Chile, arranged in organized areas throughout the grounds.

In 1918 Pascual Baburizza bought the El Olivar estate and had Georges Dubois design a garden there. In 1931 he donated it to the Chilean nitrate company, which opened it to the public as Parque El Salitre. The state took it over in 1951 and renamed it Jardín Botánico Nacional; since 1992 the Fundación Jardín Botánico Nacional has administered it. The February 2024 fires burned about 90% of its surface.

The garden's name comes from the El Salitre park, named for the saltpetre company that ran it from 1931. The artificial lagoon's old glorieta regulated water through interior sluices and sheltered 50 bird species. Free picnic areas and an environmental education programme for schoolchildren from March to December were part of its public use.

Wear sturdy shoes since the grounds have pathways of varying difficulty and some areas are steep. Plan enough time to explore the different zones and follow signage to make sure you see the various habitats without missing key areas.

The garden held 149 Sophora toromiro trees from two generations, a species extinct in its native Easter Island habitat and surviving only in botanic gardens and private collections. It also kept three other Easter Island species. The 2024 fires consumed almost all of the garden's plant species.